Your heart pounded in time with your feet as they propelled you through the forest line and into the darkness of the trees. You could hear the car screech to a stop and shouting erupt behind you, but you were already too far away for the words to stand out
2 miles...2 miles... just run 2 miles... Your brain repeated over and over as you struggled to look at the ground in front of you. Various tree roots and twigs stuck up and you didn't want to fall and lose even more time trying to get to the right spot.
The trees passed you in a blur and the shadows molded together to create various shapes, some of which resemble humans a little too much and caused you to turn your head.
Once you were sure you were a decent distance from the road, you turned and ran parallel to the way the cars were going. Leaves crunched under you and far away an owl called out, increasing your already high nerves.
It was so quiet.
There was no sound around you. No screaming of the boys, no pounding of footsteps in your direction, no cars squealing by in attempt to find you. You weren't stupid enough to think they had given up but you were confused by the lack of pursuit.
Shaking it all off, you continued on, darting in between and around trees trying to count in your head how long it had been. The longer you ran the more paranoid you got that one of the boys would be lurking in the shadows waiting to grab you, but it never happened.
You ran past a tall tree and multiple birds flew away, cawing and making noise that had you cringe. You didn't think that anyone would be able to pinpoint you from that but the noise still could bring potential unwanted attention.
Your feel crunched on the leaves as they carried you forward, your lungs starting to protest at the consistent speed. You slowed down slightly, hoping that it wouldn't cost you anything.
I should have about 10 minutes left before I hit the edge of the property... You thought as your head swiveled the left and right looking out for anyone.
The phone tucked in your felt like a deadweight. What if you messaged them? It wouldn't hurt right?
No, it wasn't in the plan... just keep going.
You sighed and picked up your pace again, the moon illuminating your path as patches of leaves failed to cover the ground. You counted down the minutes in your head,
9...
8...
7...
6...
You sprinted the last five minutes, your legs and chest protesting but you couldn't help it. Being so close filled you with excitement and the feeling rose when you saw the edge of the tree line.
Running through it, you slowed to a stop, seeing the main road that would lead to your freedom.
I probably came out a little too far from the site... If I walk along the road I'll run into them. You thought as you started walking beside the road.
"Going somewhere?" A voice asked and you froze.
Footsteps walked up behind you and you slowly turned to see Elijah's stern expression. He put a hand on your shoulder and squeezed, causing you to wince, and directed you away from the road and back into the trees.
"Unlike the rest of those idiots I realized where you were headed and waited here. It took you long enough to show up." He scowled as he looked down at you. His brown eyes were filled with such intensity that you looked down at the ground, dread building up inside you.
"What we do now, is the real question." He murmured as he put a finger under your chin and lifted your head up so his eyes met yours, "Because I really don't want to go back to dealing with everyone being around you. You've always belonged to me and all they've done is gotten in my way." His eyes filled with hunger.
You stepped back but his arm snaked around your waist and kept you in place.
"I've held back so much (Y/n), you've made everything so hard. Every smile, every word, every movement you made has filled me with such joy that I couldn't bear to see you spend time with the others. Your smile belongs to me, your actions are dictated by me."
Get away.. Get away! Your mind screamed but your feet were frozen in place.
Even getting this far you were still outwitted by him. Was there a point in trying to run? You didn't know how far you were from everyone else in reality and you could run into one of the other boys.
The feeling of panic increased and your breathing became more shallow.
Elijah played with your hair frowning slightly, "Although if you wanted to fight back every now and then I wouldn't mind. It's fun to put you in your place, to see the desperation in your eyes, the hopelessness."
I failed... I couldn't even make it to the damn spot!
Elijah sucked in a breath, "That look right there..." He angled your face even more as a smile spread over his lips.
Your knees gave out and he caught you, saying something but you couldn't hear it over the roaring in your ears.
I failed, I failed, I failed. I'm not getting out, I can't get away.
"(Y/n)!" Elijah shouted and your eyes darted to his face.
"I need you to pay attention to me darling. You're going to sit down right here and wait while someone comes to get us, okay? Then you can go to sleep and when you wake up we'll be somewhere safe."
After his saying it, you realized just how tired and drained you actually were. Complying with him, you sat in the grass, your head in your hands. You didn't have the energy to put up a fight or run anymore.
Elijah walked a few feet away and called someone, murmuring and whispering things.
"Mom, I found the missing girl." was all you heard before you gave up on listening to the conversation.
You watched the stars in the sky, your dread and panic falling away to pure numbness. Nothing mattered anymore. If this plan wouldn't work then nothing would. You were stuck like this.
Elijah sat down next to you, resting his head on your shoulder as the two of you waited. An eternity seemed to pass before headlights came down the road and stopped in front of you.
"(Y/n)!" someone exclaimed from inside the car, but you didn't know who it was. Elijah led you to the backseat and helped you get in. Your eyes wandered to the passenger seat but didn't see Elijah get in.
Instead, you heard him ask someone, his mom, to get out for a second and you watched as the woman in the driver seat put the car in neutral before stepping out.
Your eyes returned to the road as you waited and waited. Shouting erupted outside and you jumped when a gunshot echoed around you.
A few moments later, Elijah got in the driver's seat, tossing something silver on the ground of the passenger side.
"Are you ready to go (Y/n)?" He asked, looking back at you. There were red splatters on his cheek.
You nodded, numb and oblivious to what had happened. You fell to your side on the seats and sighed, closing your eyes.
You were so, so tired.
"Goodnight." He whispered as he started driving down the road, glancing out the side window for a second.
~Two years later~
The tv blared some show you had lost interest in as you stared at the clock hanging above it. He'd be home any minute now and then you would help him cook dinner.
That had been the schedule for the last year. On Fridays he came home with groceries and you would cook dinner together. After that... well it was always interesting what he came up with.
As if on queue, the front door unlocked and opened and Elijah stepped through with a handful of grocery bags.
"Hello darling." He said as he slipped his shoes off and set the bags down on the kitchen counter. You rose from your spot on the sofa and walked over to him. He gave you a swift kiss on the lips before he started unpacking food.
"What are we having tonight?" You asked, staring at all the food in wonder.
"I was thinking (f/f) since we haven't had it in a while" He said as he shoved things into the fridge.
Excitement rose within you and you smiled, "Really?"
He looked back at you and stopped what he was doing, "Have I told you how much I love you and that smile?"
You laughed, "Everyday at least three times."
He balled up the last bag and set it down on the counter, walking over to you, "What about a fourth time?" He wrapped his arms around your waist and nuzzled your neck.
You laughed again and tried to pull out of his grip, "If you insist on it."
Something flashed in his eyes and he kissed you again, this one slower and more passionate. Pulling away he rested his head against your shoulder.
"I love you (Y/n)." He whispered softly.
You wrapped your arms around him, "I love you too Elijah."
"Let's get this dinner done so we can have some fun." There was an underlying tone in his voice that made you anxious.
Instead, you smiled like he had always told you to. "Okay."
He pulled you into the kitchen and the two of you got to work cooking.
Just you and Elijah, how it was always meant to be.